A Day in the South

Yesterday we went to Bosra in the south of Syria, an ancient Roman town and theatre. It was lovely, the air was fresh and clean, and the temperature was a delightful 28 degrees.

The seats of the amphitheatre. At one point they were completely buried under the sand. Bosra

Under the ruins, Bosra

We then hopped into a microbus to go to the town of Daraa where a friend’s friend picked us up for a tour of the region. We went to the Yarmuke River, site of an ancient battle, and looked across to Jordan and Israel, just a few miles away.

Yarmuke River flowing into Jordan, Daraa

A young shepherd, Daraa

Next we headed to a man-made lake where young boys jumped in and went for a swim while a younger boy took his pet cow on a leash for a drink.

Pet cow, Daraa

Then it was off to another lake where families were rowing about in small boats. Other families were playing drums, clapping, and singing. Smells from the barbecue wafted in the breeze. A Bedouin girl cruised the crowds asking for money. She liked my nose-ring, she was wearing one just like it.

An afternoon on the water, Daraa

Two motorcycles bumped into each other head on and the men driving them got off to have a go at one another. They had just gotten each other into headlocks when police sirens were going off. And then, a white horse ran by. I turned around to see a man sitting on a white horse in the lake. I was confused.

We got back in the truck and stopped for cotton candy. The ice cream truck man was sitting there in his truck, not waiting to sell ice cream but sitting there to watch us eat cotton candy. The ice cream truck music was creepy, it helped to explain all the horses.